After much public feedback, the Sidney town council has voted against the opening of an emergency warming shelter in a local seniors home.
This past Monday, September 8th, Town of Sidney’s council met for the week’s regular council meeting with numerous residents turning out to voice their opinions on one matter specifically—the proposed Emergency Weather Response Shelter (EWRS).
The EWRS was proposed to be established at the seniors home, Wakefield Manor, located at 9924 Third Street. Wakefield Manor is operated by Beacon Community Services.
The meeting began with a presentation by Beacon, who explained that the community space, which would have become an EWRS in situations that deemed it necessary to use, is accessible from a back door and able to be separate from the rest of the building.
An EWRS is a shelter space that allows unhoused individuals to access a safe space when severe weather conditions may be detrimental to their health if they were to sleep outdoors.
Beacon Community Services CEO Tricia Earl stated that if and when the shelter was needed, no individual would be allowed in areas of the building other than the community space and all those in need of a safe place to sleep would be monitored throughout the night by staff.
She added that other shelters run by Beacon throughout Greater Victoria run successfully, and have very few complaints about the individuals who seek shelter through their services.
One such shelter is Beacon’s Out of the Rain shelter, which operates every day, offering unhoused people a place to sleep, and is located at 1450 Elford Street in Victoria.
“We’ve included two letters from our neighbours on either side [of Beacon’s Out of the Rain shelter], both are very supportive in what we’ve been doing on that street,” said Earl.
“Both of them said they have had no problems with noise, no problems with loitering and no problems with theft, or any problems.”
It was Beacon’s position that an EWRS was needed in Sidney, as there are many unhoused individuals in the town that do not have a home.
The proposed EWRS would have allowed between 10 to 20 individuals to take shelter from harsh weather conditions and took into account the concerns of the residents of Wakefield Manor.
Some of these concerns included stray shopping carts on the property, drug use, security measures, staffing and procedures.
During the public hearing portion of the council meeting, which allows residents to speak on the EWRS matter, many voiced concerns over compromised safety they believed this shelter may bring to the community.
First up to speak was Sidney resident Dianne Waller, who organized a petition against the EWRS which garnered hundreds of signatures.
“We bring the petition forward, not out of a lack of compassion of those in need but of a deep concern for the safety, dignity and well-being of our senior residents,” said Waller.
“We have collected about 400 signatures from residents, family members and from Wakefield residents, as well as local professionals. This petition represents strong opposition to the shelter being placed in a seniors’ living facility.”
Waller concluded by saying that she and the signatories are in support of an EWRS, but not at Wakefield Manor.
The discussion around this matter lasted around three and a half hours, and resulted in the EWRS at Wakefield Manor being denied by council by a four-to-three vote.
Those who voted against the EWRS being located at Wakefield Manor were Councillors Scott Garnett, Richard Novek, Chad Rintoul and Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith. Those in favour were Councillor Steve Duck, Terri O’Keeffe and Sara Duncan.
This proposed EWRS would have been the only shelter of its kind in Sidney if it were approved.
With this endeavour being denied, unhoused individuals will have to seek shelter in other municipalities when severe weather conditions are present in the region.
According to a report from a City of Victoria staff member last November, Victoria currently carries the brunt of the burden when it comes to providing EWRS space to unhoused people in the whole of the Capital Regional District.
Following the Sidney council vote to deny the EWRS, Victoria City Councillor Matt Dell called the decision “absolutely shameful.”
“This means that in the next snowstorm unhoused people will have to find transportation all the way to Victoria,” wrote Dell in a social media post.
“I’ve seen some outrageous anti-housing votes from other councils but this one takes the cake.”
He also noted that he hopes that housing activists will pay attention and put pressure on other municipal councils to approve housing initiatives going forward.
